Billboard #1 Hits: #171: “96 Tears”- ? & The Mysterians. October 26, 1966. #1 for 1 week.
- Single: ” 96 Tears”- ? & The Mysterians
- Record Company-Pa-Go-Go
- Genre: Garage Rock
- Written by Rudy Martinez
- Time: 2:56
- B-side: “Midnight Hour”
- Album- 96 Tears
- Grade:A+
- Peaked at #1 1 week in the Billboard Hot 100. #37 in the UK Singles Chart.
? was Rudy Martinez. Rudy wrote the song back in 1962 in his managers living room in Bay City, Michigan. A garage band classic- and an influence on the punk rock movement in the mid 1970’s in fact there are claims that the term ‘punk rock’ originated in 1971 in an article critic Dave Marsh wrote about ? and The Mysterians. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at #210 on their 500 Greatest Songs Ever list. The key to the hit is the organ licks that were played by Frank Rodriguez. ? and The Mysterians were not a one hit wonder- they did have one more hit- the follow up #21 “I Need Somebody.”
slicethelife 
You’re right that organ and his Eric Burdon-esque voice. My brother used to live in Bay City, which is on the opposite side of the state from me.
I was just a kid but I got that this group was hipper than most pop groups. “Cry, cry, cry, Woo”.
Great tune Hans. You heard Garland Jeffrey’s cover? Does a great job.
I heard it a while ago- need to give it another listen but I agree it was a great cover.